In 2019, I began my PhD project entitled 'Historical Records of Climate Preserved in Biomolecular Components of Calendrically-dated Parchment Manuscripts and Seals' under the supervision of Dr Melanie Roffet-Salque (University of Bristol) and Professor Matthew Collins (University of Cambridge & University of Copenhagen). This research is co-funded by the European Research Council (Beasts2Craft) and the Carlsberg Foundation (ArcHives; PI: Professor Matthew Collins).

My PhD forms a part of two collaborative projects (Beasts2Craft and ArcHives) and comprises three main themes surrounding the analysis of lipids within parchment manuscripts and wax seals. This will be achieved by (1) investigating diachronic and geographical changes in the molecular composition of parchment manuscripts and wax seals by GC-MS and HT-GC-MS; (2) determining the isotopic composition of lipids by GC-C-IRMS and GC-TC-IRMS for the reconstruction of palaeodietry and palaeocliamtic records (3) validating novel compound-specific approaches for radiocarbon dating. By addressing these themes, we will test hypotheses surrounding the impact of historical events upon the documents; gain insight into past climatic events and make the first steps toward provenancing historical beeswax and parchments.